Method of hanging bacon bellies in smoke



Jan. 7. 1930. T. O'BRIEN 1,742,872

IETHOD OF HANGING BACON BELLIBS In SIOKE Filed June 4. 192a I 7M MPMPatented Jan. 7, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE,

THOMAS OBRIEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO' SWIFT & CO1V[PANY, OFCHICAGO,

ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS METHOD OF HANGING BACON BELLIES INSMOKE Application filed June 4, 1928. Serial No. 282,764.

This invention relates to a method of hanging bacon bellies during thesmoking operation in order to minimize the unequal shrinkage andconsequently the out-of-square product which results from the customarymethod of hanging the bellies. Rectangular bellies are the mostdesirable and need not be trimmed before delivery to slicing machines. Apurpose of the invention is to reduce the requirement for trimming.

The objects of the invention are accomplished by hanging the belliesoff-center so that the belly edge thereof is closer to the center lineof the hanger and placed under more 0 tension than is normally the case.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 illustrates in perspective the improved ofi-center method ofhanging bacon bellies.

Fig. 2 is a front view of a belly supported off-center in a hanger andin the tilted position it assumes by gravity.

In carrying out the invention, the bellies are hung preferably by meansof the commonly used comb hangers, except that wider than usual hangersare employed in order to permit placing the bellies the required amountto one side of the hangers, or instead of this the hangers may havetheir hooks o-fi-center. In placing a bacon belly in a hanger, thecenter line of the belly comes to one side of the center line of thehanger as illustrated in Fig. 1 so that the belly or teat line edge ofthe bacon is near the center line of the hanger and the back edge of thebacon is further removed therefrom. This arrangement causes the hangerand belly supported therein to swing around the pivotal support at thehook 1 of the hanger 2 to the position shown in Fig. 2. The diagonalstrains throughout the belly due to its weight, tend to stretch thebelly edge more than the back edge and therefore counteract the normaldifference in shrinkage between the two edges of the belly, with theresult that the belly remains substantially rectangular in outline asdesired for marketing and particularly for use in slicing machines Inthe drawings, the bellies 3 are shown as having the back edge at 4 andthe belly edge at 5. The skin of the belly is indicated at 6.

In carrying out the method, the bellies 3 are placed in the hangers 2 tobe supported thereby along the edge of one end so that their centerlines 8 are to one side of the point of support or the center line 9 ofthe hanger. The belly edge 5 is nearer to the center line of the hangerthan the back edge 4. This off-center hanging results in the Weight ofthe belly exerting greater tension on the belly edge than on the backedge. The increased tension on the belly edge serves to counteract thenatural tendency of the belly to shrink or shorten a greater amount onthe belly edge side than on the back edge side during the smoking anddrying out process. The resulting product is substantially rectangular.

Different forms of hangers than the one illustrated may be used forcarrying out the method.

I claim:

1. The method of hanging bacon bellies for the smoking operation whichconsists in supporting the bellies along the edge of one of the shorterdimensions thereof by means pivotally mounted at one side of the centerline of the belly, allowing the latter to swing by gravity around saidpivotal support into an oblique position so that there will be greaterstress due to the weight of the belly on the belly edge thereof than onthe back edge thereof. I

2. The meat treating process which consists in hanging from one end aside of bacon, with the belly edge of the bacon disposed in greatertension than the back edge and then smoking the bacon, wherefore theincidental shrinkage of the back and belly edges is substantiallyequalized.

3. The meat treating process which consists in attaching a pivot-allysupported and centrally hung comb hanger to one end of a side of bacon,with the back edge of the bacon closer to one end of the hanger than therelatively lean and thin belly edge is to the other end, and thensmoking the bacon thus suspended, Wherefore the'belly edge hangs in agreater tension relative to the back edge and disproportionate shrinkagethereof is minimized.

Signed at Chicago this 26th day of May,

THOMAS OBRIEN.

